Susan's Story
The idea of doing Divergent (and possibly Insurgent as well) from Susan's POV has been mulling around my head for a while, so I decided to put in down on (electronic) paper. As well as the fact that there are very few stories purely based on Susan, in fact, she is not even acknowledged as a character on the list.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except for the characters of my own creation who will appear later in this story.
It is the day of our aptitude tests, and I am standing inside the bus taking us to school. I've given up my seat for an elderly looking Candor woman whilst Robert sits beside me. On the hand, I am nervous; nervous about this process; nervous about the results it will show both Robert and I. And also Caleb Prior and his sister Beatrice. They have been our neighbours for as long as I remember, and the four of us have grown up together. I know Caleb as well as one can know another in Abnegation, and we watch out for each other. Beatrice, on the other hand is a different matter entirely. I get the feeling she is not always as selfless as she could be if she really put her mind to it, so Caleb and I are constantly nudging her back in the right direction. It must worry Caleb; he is not oblivious to her distancing from us; from Abnegation.
I know shouldn't be nervous, not for myself, for I know exactly where the test will tell me I belong. Where I have always belonged. Abnegation. But I worry for Robert. I know that he is not entirely happy living as Abnegation. Our parents will be disappointed, but they will still have me, and Robert's decision to leave is one they will accept because they know it is for the best. Robert is not selfish, but sometimes he can be preoccupied with himself. He is kind and thoughtful for others, which makes him selfless, but he does think about himself, not necessarily before others, but he reflects on himself as well. He doesn't try to forget himself, only to be good to others. Which is close to what Abnegation strives for, but not quite close enough, for he is not totally willing to give up his thoughts for himself completely.
Robert coughs lightly, reminding me of our proximity to school. As the bus slows down, we climb off and walk to our classroom. Robert is in a different class, for there were not enough spaces in our class so I nod at him in farewell, but I cannot bring myself to smile. Robert smiles easily back at me, with not a single worry in the world. He knows what the result will show me, and seemingly knows what it will bring himself as well. I ignore the knot in my stomach which tightens as he walks away and walk into class alongside Caleb, joining the other Abnegation sitting quietly at the desks. I watch the other factions, seeking to forget myself, exactly like all Abnegation do, and for the most part, I am successful. I absorb the world around me, watching others and learning how to improve myself so I can help others better.
I am brought out of my outward thoughts by the teacher calling out the names of those who are going into the rooms, which to my knowledge, are only ever used for this testing process. Most of the testers are Abnegation, but there is a Candor and Dauntless to test Abnegation members, as you cannot be tested by a member from the same faction. I wait patiently for my name to be called; examining my fellow students' responses to being called up and then exiting from the test. I notice that Caleb doesn't seem worried as he is called, yet he comes back looking anxious and apprehensive. Both Beatrice and I try to catch his eye, but even if we could, we are not allowed to talk about the results we receive. But I do not understand what Caleb has to be troubled about, he is a natural Abnegation, and I remember as children; Caleb would often criticise and correct Beatrice, trying to make her a better and selfless person.
Moments later, my name is called up alongside Beatrice's name and we make our way out to the corridor; a walk that seems to last forever. Beatrice's hands are shaking; out of all of us, she is the one least suited to a life as Abnegation. I want to reassure her she will be alright, but before I can, we stop at the door to one of the rooms, and I have to leave.
I enter the room, and a Candor looks up from the computer. She smiles at me.
"You must be Susan Black." She comments.
"Yes." I reply simply.
"My name is Tessa. Please lie down." She gestures to the bed and I follow her instructions quickly so I do not waste her time. She hands me a glass of clear liquid. I try my best to be relaxed, but my nervousness must show.
"It doesn't hurt, I promise." She assures me. I manage a small nod, and swallow the liquid in one go.
This will be continued, I promise! I've got another two stories on FF already that I am working on, and another Divergent story, which is in a similar format to this, but from Tori's side of the story instead. Please review!